Newsletter
Prevention paradox in accessibility
Issue 02 - 2026
Domingos de Oliveira (netz-barrierefrei.de):
Das Präventions-Paradox besagt, dass man für das Verhindern von Vorfällen nicht belohnt wird. Normalzustand: Etwas passiert, es werden Maßnahmen getroffen, die verhindern, dass es noch mal passiert. Irgendwann fragt jemand, warum man das Geld für die Maßnahmen ausgibt, es passiert ja nichts. Das gilt auch für digitale Barrierefreiheit: Niemand beschwert sich darüber, wenn sie da ist (außer Leute, die Blinkiblinki lieben).
Interesting articles
An interview about the AI Code for Plain Language shows how AI can be used effectively without losing sight of the participation of the target group.
AI Code for Plain Language – an interview with Frauke Jessen-Narr and Ruben Rhensius
An overview of the most important developments in digital accessibility in 2026 – from legal compliance to AI-supported testing and dynamic interface adaptations.
This article explains when digital accessibility can be considered a disproportionate burden under the law and why this exception is not a free pass.
Digital accessibility – when does it become a disproportionate burden?
The new BKJ guide shows practical ways in which digital accessibility can be designed in child and youth welfare to enable participation for all.
This article offers open resources and accessible media for adult education to make communication more inclusive and to facilitate access for all learners.
Accessibility in adult education: Open resources and media for implementation in communication
This practical guide provides professionals in youth and social contexts with concrete suggestions for promoting the digital participation of young people with disabilities.
Moving on in English: A new tool simplifies the review of PDF documents by making common standards such as WCAG and PDF/UA verifiable, thus enabling a more reliable assessment of the accessibility of digital content.
A comparative analysis shows how different validators arrive at varying results during PDF/UA validation and what should be considered when interpreting the test results.
Understanding PDF/UA Validation Results: A Comparative Study Across Tools
Ein provokanter Kommentar zeigt, wie „digital by default“ viele ältere Menschen vom Zugang zu lebenswichtigen Online-Diensten ausschließt und warum echte digitale Teilhabe mehr braucht als nur technische Lösungen.
Opinion: We’ve grown far too comfortable excluding older people from the digital world
Microsoft highlights recent Forrester research on digital accessibility and shows how the value of accessible technologies has evolved over decades and how AI is creating new opportunities.
Forrester Research: As technology has evolved, so has the need for accessibility
Good news of the month
Facebook/Meta startet ein Förderprogramm für Innovationen mit KI-Brillen und unterstützt Organisationen, die mit dieser Wearable-Technologie gesellschaftlichen und wirtschaftlichen Mehrwert schaffen wollen.
Introducing AI Glasses Impact Grants to Advance Wearable Technology for Good
A new AI-powered tool is designed to help blind and visually impaired people perceive their surroundings better and use digital information more intuitively.
AI tool helps visually impaired users navigate the digital and physical world
Das österreichische Parlament erweitert sein Angebot in Einfacher Sprache und stellt Inhalte nun auch als Hörformat zur Verfügung – ein wichtiger Schritt für barrierefreie politische Information.
Österreichisches Parlament bietet Einfache Sprache jetzt auch als Hörformat an
Die British Sign Language Glossary Group stellt zentrale Fachbegriffe in Gebärdensprache bereit und unterstützt so barrierefreie Kommunikation in Bildung und Praxis.
The new Canadian standard ASC-62 defines guidelines for accessible and fair AI systems, thus setting a strong example for inclusive artificial intelligence.
ASC-62: Accessible and Equitable Artificial Intelligence Systems
Eine neue DIN-ISO-Norm bringt Einfache Sprache in die juristische Kommunikation und soll Rechtstexte verständlicher und zugänglicher machen.
Tactile photographs open up new avenues to art for blind people and show how multisensory design can enable cultural participation.
The ATU760 SignGlasses translate spoken language into text in real time, thus supporting deaf people in everyday life and communication.
Target is the first company nationwide to introduce barrier-free self-checkout tills, setting new standards for inclusive shopping.
Target launches first-of-its-kind accessible self-checkout nationwide
A platform for assessing the accessibility of public spaces is going international, making accessibility comparable globally for the first time.
Platform that rates accessibility of public spaces goes global
Toyota-Ingenieur:innen entwickeln innovative Lösungen für mehr Barrierefreiheit und zeigen, wie inklusives Design in der Automobilindustrie aussehen kann.
Bengaluru Airport is the first airport in India to achieve ACI Level 3 accreditation, setting new standards for accessible travel.
Bengaluru airport becomes India's first to achieve ACI Level 3 accreditation
Hilton is further expanding its accessible travel offerings and specifically improving the hotel stay for guests with disabilities worldwide.
Hilton boosting accessibility for travelers with disabilities
More articles
- WTPDF Tagging – Full Documentation (Firefox AF) Detailed documentation shows how PDF content can be tagged so that screen readers and assistive technologies can interpret it correctly.
- ADA Web Lawsuit Trends 2026: An overview of developments in ADA lawsuits against websites in the USA and important accessibility recommendations for businesses.
- DOM Mutations and Accessibility This article explains how dynamic changes in the DOM Accessibility Tree affect the user experience and what developers should pay attention to.
- CSUN Recap: Testing Mobile Apps — Tools, Techniques and Best Practices (Android) A recap of the CSUN conference with tips, tools and best practices for the accessibility of Android apps.
- Best Practices for Authoring MathML in EPUB: A guide for authors on how to correctly and accessibly implement mathematical content in EPUB documents.
- Does AI Generate Accessible Android Apps? A critical examination of whether AI tools can truly generate accessible Android apps, highlighting opportunities and limitations.
- accessibility-compat-data (GitHub) This repository provides compatibility data to help developers consider different browser and platform behaviors in terms of accessibility.
- Touro Law School Disability Rights Conference: A conference that brings together experts, activists and students to discuss legal issues and current developments in accessibility.
- AblePlayer Changelog: An overview of new features, bug fixes, and developments of the accessible web player for inclusive multimedia experiences.
- Flutter Accessibility Guide – Part 1 A practical guide for developers on how to make Flutter apps accessible.
- Does the Aktion Mensch initiative harm digital accessibility?